SSX Blur for Wii Reviews by Gamers

If you've played SSX, SSX Tricky, or SSX 3 for the previous generation systems, you know basically what to expect from this game. With the same blend of racing, tricks, and freestyle action, the classic gameplay of the SSX series is intact. You again have a number of characters to send off on a variety of engaging and visually attractive courses.

What SSX Blur adds is the unique Wii control scheme, which utilizes both the Wii Remote and the attached Nunchuk controller. This is where the key determinant is in enjoying the game; if you are willing to put forth several hours of experimentation to get it right, you will figure out the basic method of getting your character down the hill with good speed and a decent array of tricks along the way. In my own experience, this was not a "pick up and play" title that will appeal to the same broad swath of people that readily enjoyed, say, Wii Sports and Wii Play. You're going to have to practice a great deal to succeed at SSX Blur.

And therein lies my only complaint with SSX Blur. Eventually, I was able to get it right, but I was never able to attain the same precision over grabs and ubertricks that I could with previous titles in the series (all of which, of course, utilized more traditional methods of control, whether on the PS2 or Gamecube, where I had previously played these titles). It seemed every run contained at least some trick or maneuver that was blown by what I believed was the correct use of the controllers, but the action on-screen did not match what I was going for.

Still, all in all, SSX Blur is an enjoyable game, marred only by a control scheme that takes some time to master but still falls a bit short of results with a traditional controller. And, that said, I did have an awful lot of fun playing around and trying to figure out how to play, but SSX purists might not want to put forth such effort. Recommended, but with reservations depending upon your tolerance for learning a whole new way to play SSX.

There is a learning curve to the controls, and they don't always work the way you want them to, but SSX has always been a fast-paced game and the only reason the shoulder button spins and grabs on the PS2 felt right were that we all got used to them over the years.

After a few days of playing Blur, I had trouble going back to SSX On Tour (the last entry on the PS2) and switching to the PS2 controller. So you do learn how to use the nunchuk and Wii-mote to snowboard, and if you are like me, learn to love them.

This game has the best soundtrack and sound design of an SSX game since Tricky; trading the alternative rock, hip-hop, and nostalgic track "mix tapes" of the last two entries for a much smoother instrumental DJ soundtrack that adds both excitement and serenity to the experience, depending on how fast you are racing down the mountain.

All in all, an "A" to EA and the SSX franchise, who succeed in bringing something new to the series and keeping it fun.